In light of the recent suggestions in the WWD Meeting, we've updated the Neutral character parameters here. A few changes of note are:

When you can have your first Neutral character (level 3).

You now only need to submit a bio without first requesting permission from a Guide or Warlord.

Characters will be approved after one Guide/Warlord each has approved them, speeding up the playing process. If your character is human or does not have a custom power, they'll be playable virtually immediately. If they have a custom power, the character can be approved independently of the power, meaning you can at least play your Neutral character while the custom power is pending.

The Guides are pleased and tickled pink to introduce a new and improved Sentinels faction and a brand new FGB Alliance: The Curtain. For more information on both and instructions on signing up, head over to the Faction and Alliance thread here.

Maybe it’s just us here at The Times-Picayune, but civilization and nature itself seem to be off kilter lately.

There are certain unsurprising things: the wars and strife of day-to-day life, political gambits and speeches no one listens to. Then there are things that simply don’t make any sense.

An entire village in Alaska has been abandoned. Rallies in Egypt supporting a virtual nobody in an immediate recall election for its sitting President took the EU by storm. The response was so scattered amongst EU Parliamentarians, in fact, that a floor fight broke out in what has long been considered a fairly even-minded body.

Riots in Peru and Argentina have showered local headlines this last week, support only growing for what is considered a fringe third-party group for upcoming elections. In Colorado, a misunderstanding over a misplaced bag of weed left forty-seven dead in a shoot-out gone horribly, dreadfully awry.

While natural disasters are no foreign matter to the people of New Orleans, there also seems to be an uptick of those throughout the immediate area. Tornados have touched down in neighboring states like Florida and Mississippi, three hurricanes have appeared on radar (in March?), and an earthquake from a few miles outside of New Orleans rocked the city to its levies.

We at The Times-Picayune will, as always, keep you updated on any key developments as they unfold. Between you and us, though, we’re hedging our bets an apocalypse is on the way…